25 February 2010

A post about couples who swing, poylamorous relationship dynamics, or contra dancing? Sorry. I'm a supporter of KALW, San Francisco's small, community-based, public-radio station. Especially as NPR-affiliate KQED does less and less local programming, I've been amazed at the great shows KALW produces on a shoestring budget, like "Out In The Bay;" and other shows they carry like "This Way Out," and CBC's "As It Happens."

And I'm really impressed by their local news program, "Cross Currents," for its great mix of hard and topical news, and local profiles and color. I had to laugh out loud at this piece from yesterday's show, about pick-up four-square games for adults at Rockridge BART, as I flashed back to my old colleagues and I figuring out four-square configurations in Oakland schoolyard designs, when I had no idea what the game was (actually I still don't--can anyone explain???).

But I also really like the "urban playground movement" concept. Scroll down to read the transcript or click to hear or other options.

Recess isn’t just for kids anymore...

If you’ve ever walked through the parking lot at Oakland’s Rockridge Bart late on a Thursday night, you may have seen a group of raucous twenty and thirty somethings yelling and drinking beer. They’re not a bunch of hooligans. They are out there playing a friendly game of four square. Reporter Dara Kerr joins them for a round.

* * *

DARA KERR: We’re here under the Rockridge Bart train. The parking lot’s lights dimly shine down on the friends and strangers who’ve gathered here to play. Even though it’s chilly outside, most are warmed up and sweating. Four square is pretty simple, it has four people, four squares and one ball. So the players add rules to make things interesting. Sometimes everyone has to jump up and down, dance or spin in circles to get dizzy. Player Uriah Finley says a popular rule is to call categories.

URIAH FINLEY: People will call countries in the world, types of bird, things that liveunder the sea, breakfast cereals, Saturday morning cartoons. And basically whenever youhit it you have to call out one of said things.

Finley joined this weekly four square game when it started a year and a half ago.

FINLEY: Mostly it’s a good fun-based game but there’s definitely some skillsinvolved and finesse and style. There’s just a lot of tricks. Um, Lee’s kinda the trick shotguy, he’s standing right there. Hey, Lee!

He’s calling to Lee Bothwick.

LEE BOTHWICK: My favorite shots are the ones where it comes to me and I kinda likelet it slide off my fingers and it gets a little spin on it. Hopefully away from the playeryou’re hitting it to, so they have to run after it and look really silly. You can hit it reallyhard, that’s always cool.

These guys say that four square fits into something called the urban playground movement. The movement comes from this idea—as adults we’re missing out on something. Kids walk onto a playground and can befriend anyone with a ball, sidewalk chalk or a jump rope. As grown-ups we often limit ourselves—we hang out only with people we know, commute in silence and socialize online. But not these guys. Sam Wong founded the Rockridge Bart game.

SAM WONG: I would say that the community that’s been built up here really is one ofwelcome and inclusion and of silliness.

Now, urban playground groups are organizing games all over the Bay Area. They play capture the flag at Oakland City Hall, have pillow fights by San Francisco’s Ferry building and play Four square at the Bart station. They say that taking over these adult spaces brings back the spontaneity of the playground… but without bullies.

TRAVIS MUNN: A lot of us are now friends outside of four square; it’s been a good wayto meet people, you know it’s not an easy thing to meet people these days.

Travis Munn comes almost every week to play and has seen what four square can do for people’s social lives.

MUNN: There’s definitely been some four square romances. Actually, nowthat I think about it, like half the friends that I hang out with now are all four square friends. Who knew?

From his square, Finley adds another benefit.

FINLEY: It’s free, that’s definitely a big plus and I think in today’s world,that’s a factor.

Anyone can join in and between five and thirty people show up to play every week. And, that’s just in Oakland. In cities all over the U.S. people are playing four square in public places. Some are even getting competitive. In fact, there’s even a four square world championship which takes place on February 27th in Bridgton, Maine. Player Sam Wong.

WONG: I don’t think that any of the Cali cats have been able to put together the money or the will-power to go all the way to Maine in the middle of winter to play four square. It’s a dream though, it’s a dream. We do want to go to nationals.

If they don’t make it to Maine, they can be found at the Rockridge Bart parking lot, every Thursday night at 9pm.

1 comment:

I can actually remember the day in first grade when our teacher brought us out onto the playground and taught us the rules. Because, you know, as first graders, we were new to the big-kids playground, having been restricted to the kindergarten playground previously.

pick my brain...

get inside my head!

'his head' examined...

this personal blog is my first, and its name refers to a whole slew of things, including: a. a play on the old retort to someone carping about something--the way people tend to do on blogs; b. the fact that one of the big barriers to me starting a blog was trying to narrow my subject matter--until i decided i could talk about it all here; c. that i have the tendency to stay in my head--and that i'm hoping this blog will be a place where i will not only share my thoughts, but speak from my heart about what i feel; and d., that maybe i'll create more if i share some of the (hopefully) more interesting strands that happen to run through my head on any given day--as they happen--instead of thinking that everything has to be a finished product.

a blog manifesto, or where is this all 'heading...'

salve! i've always struggled a little with being interested in a lot of things in life: writing, words, language, and good conversation; making art and taking photographs; building and making things by hand; design in many forms--graphic, architectural, landscape, urban planning; growing, cooking, eating, and sharing good food; equity, justice, and civil rights; and, building community and the commonweal. as time goes by i find myself understanding better that these are not divided into the serious or frivolous, the private or the public, the altruistic or hedonistic--or divided at all--that these diverse interests are all good, creative, and important; that they fit together to make 'me;' and feed each other and new journeys, affected by and affecting other people and what's happening in all of our lives. which is a long way of saying that i am blogging to share different bits of how i feel, see, create, or think about a lot of different things; that i'm hoping you may find it interesting, enjoyable, or useful; and, that it might spur some dialogue amongst all of us and help create the world we want in new ways. thanks for "getting inside my head..."

i'm a fourth-generation ex-new yorker who found home when i moved to san francisco in 2001. moving to northern california, going back to graduate school, and changing careers were three of the best decisions i've ever made.

i'm trained as a landscape architect and urban planner, and i've designed and overseen some great projects: inner-city parks, plazas, and campuses; neighborhood and downtown plans and streetscapes; multi-use trails and environmental restorations; urban farms and foodway plans; and transit centers, light-rail lines, and transit-centered communities, around the bay area and all over north america. right now, i'm working on a book about public space and society, and starting a not-for-profit organization that assists cities and regions in developing public-space strategic plans. i've had a lot of experience running and helping out not-for-profit organizations in new york and san francisco focused on public space, civic, philanthropic, advocacy, and queer issues.

i am also an artist: primarily a photographer and writer , but i also work and experiment in other media, and this year i have several shows of my work scheduled.

my amazing fiancé, david, is an extremely gifted chiropractor, and he and i have been together for almost six years.